Android Lollipop should be hitting Nexus phones and tablets from next week. It’s Google’s biggest software update for years, so it comes with loads of handy new features. So to make sure you can make the most of Android 5.0 Lollipop, we’ve got some tips on our favourite features to give you a head start with the new operating system.
TAP AND GO
You’ve just got a brand new phone that’s running Android Lollipop and now you need to set it up with all your apps and contacts. In the past that would take ages. Now, as long as your old phone has NFC, it takes seconds.
When you first start up a phone running Android Lollipop, it’ll ask you to put it back to back with your old phone. Then your old phone will tell the new one exactly what it needs to download and where to get it from so you get set up hassle free.
PRIORITY MODE
Getting a good night’s sleep in the mobile age can be a problem. You could switch your phone off, but then you might miss something important or not get woken by an alarm. But Priority Mode lets you silence most apps and just leave a few that you always want to get notifications from.
We’ve seen similar apps on other phones, but Google’s version is better. It’s easy to tick the apps you want to hear from and you can even set a timer to come out of Priority Mode, so if you only want it on while you’re asleep, you don’t have to remember to switch it off in the morning.
We also like Silent Mode for meetings. It blocks everything from disturbing you, even your alarms.
GUEST MODE AND MULTIPLE USER ACCOUNTS
Android Lollipop makes it really easy and safe to share your phone with friends and family. Guest Mode instantly gives you a space on your phone that doesn’t have all your accounts on it. So you can let a friend borrow your phone without the fear of getting fraped.
And if you’ve got kids, or anyone else who uses your phone a lot, you can set them up with their own profile on your phone. It’ll have their accounts for things like email and their apps, so you can be sure the kids are safe.
PIN APPS
If switching between different users and guests seems like hassle, take advantage of Google’s new Pin Apps tool. When you tap to see your recent apps, you now get a stack of cards that each have a pin in them. When you tap that pin, it launches the app and stops you from leaving it without a password.
Android Lollipop is a fantastic update to the world’s most popular mobile operating system and it seems to run especially well on the Nexus 6. We love its stylish new look and have really enjoyed exploring all the things it can do. We’ve only had the space to tell you about our favourite new features, but there’s so much included in the software that you’ll be finding new stuff for ages.
Let us know what you make of the new software when you get the update in the comments below.